Get out from behind the desk and into the trenches to achieve the impossible
Passion Leadership 101- Empower Teams, Foster Collaboration, and lead from the street
The situation is this. If you want to rise up as a leader, you need to put in the work. And that means being in a place where you can show your value. That's not just sitting behind a desk and pushing paper or telling other people what to do. No.
Leadership is about getting in the trenches, being with the teams, understanding the problems, and devising strategies to overcome them. It's about rolling up your sleeves and working alongside your team members, not just issuing commands from afar.
So, what are the essential elements that every leader must focus on?
1. Lead by Example
Your actions speak louder than words. Show your team what dedication, hard work, and resilience look like. When you demonstrate a strong work ethic and a willingness to get your hands dirty, you earn the respect and admiration of your team members. Leading by example fosters a culture of accountability and excellence within the organization.
2.Effective Communication
Clear, open, and honest communication is the cornerstone of effective leadership. As a leader, you must articulate your vision, goals, and expectations clearly to your team members. Listen actively to their concerns, ideas, and feedback. By fostering a culture of open communication, you create an environment where everyone feels valued and understood. Effective communication builds trust, fosters collaboration, and drives organizational success.
3. Foster Collaboration
No leader can succeed alone. Success is a team effort. Encourage collaboration and teamwork among your team members. Create opportunities for them to share knowledge, skills, and experiences. Foster a culture of inclusivity where every team member feels empowered to contribute their unique perspectives and ideas. By harnessing the collective intelligence and creativity of your team, you can tackle complex challenges and achieve remarkable results.
When I was leading the PMO at Paramount+, I knew I had a big job to do: help the teams scale their process and increase velocity so we could launch an amazing streaming platform. It wasn’t an overnight sensation. It was years of iterating, failing and forming. But then we had a launch date to actually march to. Nothing like a big international streaming platform launch and hundreds of content going live all the same time, worldwide, to kick you in the pants. But this couldn’t be done sitting behind a desk. This meant getting to know who was on deck, why are we doing it, how are we going to do it and rally everyone together to solve the problems, rolling up my sleeves. This was human interaction 101. Culture, baby! Everyone getting on the same page and marching to a similar beat, enthused with intrinsic motivation to stay up all night and release the app on time and on budget.
Leadership is about people. It’s about being in the trenches with the team, and working the graveyard shift if you have to. It’s about motivating the teams that anything is possible, even in the face of adversity, and being willing to fail, even if your head is on the chopping block.
A long, long time ago I was a corporate event producer in Sydney. It was all about lights, tech, entertainment and action. Imagine a car launch where the car seemingly drives across the Sydney Harbor, with fireworks lit up either side; or the kickoff televised event of a tech awards night. Or the launch of the Sydney Light Rail, smashing through a pretend foam wall and the premier cutting the ribbon on the other side. Big live, messy, events, with investors and clients expecting a great event, and everything going off without a hitch. While I was the one running the show, calling the cues on the headset to the entire technical and entertainment team, the true art of an event producer is that you’re in the back of the room, wearing your black jumpsuit so no one sees you, and magically the show happens with finesse. You are seemingly invisible. Success is when everything happens to perfection (I mean, you’re fixing a hundred problems along the way, right?!) and the show-goes-on. Like the Wizard of Oz behind the curtain.
There are no airs and graces to leadership jobs. Not the good ones anyway. The kudos goes to the team. If you see a “leader”, where all they do is soak up the glory themselves, run to the hills.
Bottom line - leadership is not about barking orders or micromanaging every detail. It's about inspiring, empowering, and enabling others to achieve greatness. It’s about being first in the door and last one to leave, cleaning up the garbage on the way out. You are the enabler for everyone else’s success. Yours comes after they achieve, maybe. And don’t think even then someone is going to come along and tell you how good you were. Nope. Often, you get the complaints. Your head may fall and you don’t get the glory. Believe me, it’s happened to me over and over again.
By leading by example, communicating effectively, and fostering collaboration, you can unleash the full potential of your team and drive success in your organization, and you get the “feel good’s” when their full potential is met. You have to give them to yourself. You’ll know. I promise.
Remember, great passion leaders don't create followers; they create more leaders. So, embrace your role as a catalyst for positive change, and watch your team soar to new heights of achievement and success. Meanwhile, put in your black jersey, roll up your sleeves and get to work, leader.
xo
Gilli
